• World Malaria Day is observed every year on 25^th April.
  • World Malaria Day was first held in 2008. It was developed from Africa Malaria Day.
• Theme for World Malaria Day 2023 is “Time to deliver zero malaria: invest, innovate, implement”.
• WHO officially endorses disease-specific global awareness days for only four diseases namely, HIV-AIDS, Tuberculosis, Malaria and Hepatitis.

About Malaria

• Malaria is a caused by parasites (Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium malariae and Plasmodium ovale) that are transmitted through the bite of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.
• In the human body, parasites initially multiply in liver cells and then attack the Red Blood Cells.
• There are 5 Plasmodium parasite species that cause malaria in humans and 2 of these species – falciparum and P. vivax – pose the greatest threat.
• It is predominantly found in the tropical and subtropical areas of Africa, South America and Asia.
• It is preventable and curable.
• Symptoms-high fever, chills, headache and other flu-like symptoms.
• Infants, children under 5 years, pregnant women, travelers and people with HIV or AIDS are at higher risk of severe infection.

Malaria in India

• In 2021, India accounted for 79% of all malaria cases in Southeast Asia, according to the World Malaria Report 2022, released by the WHO.
• India also accounted for about 83% of all malaria deaths in the region.

 Initiatives  to counter Malaria

• WHO’s Initiatives:
  • The WHO has also identified 25 countries with the potential to eradicate malaria by 2025 under its ‘E-2025 Initiative’.
  • The WHO’s Global technical strategy for malaria 2016–2030 aims to reduce malaria case incidence and mortality rates by at least 40% by 2020, at least 75% by 2025 and at least 90% by 2030 against a 2015 baseline.
  • WHO has initiated the High Burden to High Impact (HBHI) initiative in 11 high malaria burden countries, including India (in West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh).
• India’s Initiatives:
  • National Framework for Malaria Elimination (2016-2030) aims at India being malaria-free by 2027 and to eliminate the disease by 2030.
  • Malaria Elimination Research Alliance-India (MERA-India)- established by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) It is a conglomeration of partners working on malaria control.
  • Distribution of Long Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINs) to high burden areas

Related info

R21 vaccine

• R21, otherwise referred to as Matrix-M malaria vaccine, is the second vaccine ever developed for a disease.
• Ghana and Nigeria have recently granted approval.
• Developed by the University of Oxford and manufactured by the Serum Institute of India.
• Has not been approved by WHO yet.
• The first-ever malaria vaccine, RTS, S or mosquirix was approved by the WHO in 2021.

• Among the migrants who availed the benefits of the ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ (ONORC) in the state in April so far, a massive 93.9 per cent are residing in Solan district.
• With the district housing the maximum number of migrants in its industrial belts of Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN) as well as Parwanoo, the maximum number of migrant users of this scheme are from there.
• The scheme was introduced in the state in May 2020.

• Wing Commander Deepika Misra has made history as the first female Air Force officer to receive a gallantry medal.
• She was awarded the Vayu Seva Medal for gallantry by the President of India on Independence Day in the previous year, and recently received the award from the Air Chief Marshal of the Indian Air Force at an investiture ceremony in New Delhi.
• She was awarded for exhibiting exemplary courage while carrying out Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief operations following flash floods in northern Madhya Pradesh.

• World Book and Copyright Day is observed on April 23^rd every year to promote reading books, particularly among the younger generation.
• The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) initiated this event with the aim of combating the reduced importance given to reading due to the excessive availability of information from various sources.
• The theme for World Book Day 2023 is ‘Indigenous Languages.’

• World Creativity and Innovation Day is celebrated annually on April 21^st to raise awareness about the crucial role that innovation and creativity play in human development.
• World Creativity and Innovation Day is a part of the World Creativity and Innovation Week that begins on April 15, celebrated as World Art Day in honor of Leonardo da Vinci’s birthday and ends on April 21.

• Pushkaralu festival has returned to the Ganga after a gap of 12 years.
• The 12-day Pushkaralu festival of Telugu-speaking people has commenced in Varanasi.
• Pushkaralu refers to the worship of the 12 sacred rivers in which the god Pushkar appears every 12 years.
  • Rivers are: Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri, Bhima, Tapti, Narmada, Saraswati, Tungbhadra, Sindhu, and Pranhita.
• The celebration happens annually, once in 12 years along each river which are associated with a zodiac sign.

• PM recently paid tributes to Basaveshwara on his birth anniversary.

About Basaveshwara

• He was a 12th century poet and was born in Karnataka.
• Known for Socio-Religious Reforms, Anubhava Mantapa (facilitated gathering for philosophy and experience), Vachana Literature and Lingayat Movement in south India.
• Basava Purana, written by Palkuriki Somanatha in 13th-century, holds full account to Basavanna’s life and ideas.
• Basaveshwara is well-known for his teachings of gender equality, social reforms, eradication of social discrimination, clarification of superstitions, and unnecessary rituals.
• His philosophy was based on principles of Arivu (true knowledge), achara (right conduct), and Anubhava (divine experience).
• He developed and inspired a new devotional movement named Virashaivas, or ardent, heroic worshippers of Shiva.
• Basaveshwara introduced the practice of wearing the Ishtalinga necklace, which symbolizes Lord Shiva and is worn by all Lingayats.

• Kesavananda Bharati case , in which the Supreme Court laid down the “basic structure” doctrine on the limits of Parliament’s power to amend the Constitution, completed 50 years recently .
• Kesavananda Bharati case (1973) was involved several key legal issues, including:
  • Constitutional Validity of Kerala Land Reforms Act which placed a limit on amount of land that a person could hold.
  • Whether Parliament’s power to amend Constitution was unlimited.
  • Doctrine of basic structure of Constitution.
• SC, in its judgment, established doctrine of basic structure, which holds that certain fundamental features of Constitution cannot be amended or abrogated by Parliament through a constitutional amendment.
• Features included -supremacy of Constitution, Judicial review, Parliamentary system, Rule of equality, rule of law, independence of judiciary etc.
• Since then, SC has tested constitutional amendments against doctrine of basic structure in several cases including:
  • Quota for OBC and Economically Weaker Section (EWS), reservations in promotions, where SC upheld constitutional amendments challenged on grounds of violation of basic structure doctrine.
  • SC struck down The Constitution (Ninety-ninth Amendment) Act, 2014, which established National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) on grounds that it threatened “judicial independence”, which the court ruled was a basic feature of the Constitution.
  • Other important cases include: Kihoto Hollohan vs Zachillhu And Others (1992) (Tenth Schedule), Minerva Mills Case (1980), L Chandra Kumar v Union of India (1997) (regarding administrative tribunals) etc.

• The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is set to initiate conservation works at Zafar Mahal in south Delhi’s Mehrauli.

About Zafar Mahal

• This is the last structure built by the Mughals and served as a summer palace for the Mughal family.
• It is located in Mehrauli village, which is in the Southern part of Delhi.
• It consists of the Mahal (built by Akbar Shah II) & Hathi Gate (built by Bahadur Shah Zafar).
  • Hathi Gate got its name because of the fact that an elephant can pass through it with the ‘houdah’ (seat, where people sit on elephant) mounted over it.
• It was built in memory of the Hazrat Khwaja Qutubuddin Bakthiar Kaki, the renowned Sufi saint to whom almost all the Mughal Emperors were disciples.
• Zafar Mahal stands next to the Dargah of Qutubuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki.
• The complex contains the beautiful white marble Moti Masjid and several royal graves.
  • There’s even an empty grave for Bahadur Shah Zafar.
• The palace was used during the Phool Walon ki Sair (procession of florists) festival held after every monsoon.

• Recently, researchers discovered a new moth from Talle Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh.

About Piarosoma arunachalensis

• It is a moth species belonging to the genus Piarosoma.
• It is a Burnet moth and is largely day-flying.
• It belongs to the family Zygaenidae, which includes Forester and Burnet moths.
• Burnet and Forester’s moths are brightly coloured day-flying moths, often with clubbed antennae.
• Many species mimic butterflies and are distasteful to predators.
• Moths are highly diverse organisms and scientists estimate there are 160,000 moth species in the world and about 12,000 species in India.
• Their colours are either dazzling or so cryptic that easily camouflage with their surroundings.

About Talle Wildlife Sanctuary

• It is a wildlife sanctuary as well as a bio-diversity hotspot located in the state of Arunachal Pradesh.
• Pange, Sipu, Karing and Subansiri rivers flow through this sanctuary.
• Flora: It comprises sub-tropical and alpine forests.

Fauna: Clouded leopard, Himalayan squirrel, Himalayan Black Bear etc.